First Fridays Architecture and Design Lecture Series
Please make plans to join us for our First Fridays Architecture and Design Lecture Series.  All lectures will be held at the Old Spanish Village Sales Gallery, 2901 Ponce de Leon Boulevard in Coral Gables. Lectures begin at 7:00pm and are followed by a wine and cheese reception and tour of the Coral Gables Museum's Celebrate exhibit.  In keeping with the spirit of presenting Museum programs at no charge to our participants, lectures are free.  Due to limited seating, reservations are required.  Call 305-910-3996 or e-mail info@coralgablesmuseum.org to reserve your seat.   Of course, Museum donations are accepted and greatly appreciated.

We have a wonderful schedule of distringuished speakers and topics:

Friday, February 6, 2009   7:00pm

Green Before Green:  George Merrick and the Environment

Author and historian Arva Moore Parks talks about the environmentally correct design principles of George Merrick and his methodology for “greening” the Gables.

Friday, March 6, 2009   7:00pm

Building Close to Nature:  The Early Architecture of Dade County’s Park System

UM School of Architecture professor and author Rocco Ceo’s presentation covers the design and construction of Miami-Dade County's early park architecture and how this architecture evolved in a context of forest fires, devastating hurricanes and the post-boom period of the 1930's.

                           

Friday, April 3, 2009   7:00pm

The Villages:  From the Craft Section to Old Spanish Village 

Historian and author Arva Moore Parks’ research has given her great insight into the City of Coral Gables history and development, and how the architectural  “village” theme was the at heart of the City’s plan.

Architecture and Design Tours

Saturday, January 24, 2009   10:00am
Coral Gables Trolley Tour

Join Coral Gables Museum Director of Operations Christine Rupp for a comfortable, informative tour of the Gables.  Stops at the Merrick House, the Venetian Pool, the Coral Gables Congregational Church, travel through the themed villages and more. The history, design, landscape architecture and architecture of the City Beautiful will be discussed along the route. The tour will depart from the Coral Gables Farmers Market near City Hall.

Saturday, February 7, 2009  10:00am

The Biltmore Hotel:  An Insider’s Tour

Join Ellen Uguccioni, historian, author and City of Miami’s Historic Preservation Director, on this very informative and entertaining tour of the Biltmore Hotel.  Not your average tour, Ellen will take us through areas of the Biltmore rarely seen by visitors.  As co-author of “The Biltmore Hotel:  An Enduring Legacy”, Ellen is the authoritative source on the Biltmore, its architecture and fascinating history.  Meet in the hotel’s main lobby at 10:00am.